


What Could've Been

by ko_chan



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, LadyNoir - Freeform, Marichat, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Reverse Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, adrienette - Freeform, ladrien, possibly reverse love square eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-08-22 03:24:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16589924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ko_chan/pseuds/ko_chan
Summary: Rewrite of Miraculous Ladybug from Volpina onward that will attempt to give healthy characterization, development, and slowburn that will eventually stray away from canon with the miraculous cast that is not hindered by the episodic formula and reset button that is applied in the show.





	1. Volpina: Part One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [imthepunchlord](https://archiveofourown.org/users/imthepunchlord/gifts).



> Hey guys! This is a Miraculous Season 2 rewrite attempting to fix certain things and apply theories that could’ve been used. This will start from Volpina to the end of season 2 and hopefully continue when Season 3 comes out.   
> This wouldn’t have happened without the Marinette Defense Squad on discord and especially imthepunchlord for contributing with ideas and lore. I’m so thankful for their help and I hope they’ll continue to collab with me on the future chapters!  
> This is a gift to imthepunchlord and all of the Marinette Defense Squad on discord  
> Title: What Could’ve Been  
> Pairings: Adrien/Marinette, Nino/Alya  
> Genre(s): Romance/Friendship/Drama/Action  
> Summary: Rewrite of Miraculous Ladybug from Volpina onward that will attempt to give healthy characterization, development, and slowburn with the miraculous cast that is not hindered by the episodic formula and reset button that is applied in the show.   
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Miraculous. If I did, I would give it to the discord server to rewrite it.

Volpina: Part One

“Adrien, I’ve prepared your schedule for today.” Natalie announced as Adrien walked down the grand staircase to his foyer. Adrien resisted the urge to sigh and gave a weak smile. If structure is what his father wanted, he would go along with it…

“Thank you, Natalie.” Adrien replied. Natalie nodded and went to go prepare the car with the Gorilla. A slam was heard, and Adrien jumped, registering his father’s angry tone resonating from his study. Concern filled Adrien. He hasn’t seen his father much in these past months since his mother’s departure. Ever since then, his father had immersed himself in his work to the point where Adrien questioned if he ever slept or ate. He wondered what his father was thinking—did he miss her as much as Adrien did?

A hand touched the doorknob of his father’s study, the only physical barrier between them, but Adrien felt as if they were oceans away from each other emotionally. An urge to talk to his father about their grief entered his mind, and determined, Adrien peeked inside the study where his father was talking heatedly with an employee.

“You got the arrangements all wrong and the show is next week! You seem more like an imbecile than a professional!” Gabriel roughly closed the tome he was searching through, picking it up and retreating to Adrien’s Maman’s portrait. Adrien’s eyes widened as he listened to his father talk while Gabriel revealed a secret safe behind the portrait.

“No, have Natalie send you the arrangements. She does a better job than your incompetent staff.” Gabriel finished the call, closing the safe, and hiding it from the world again. Adrien hid away as his father exited the study, his green eyes trained on the door.

“He keeps a safe behind Maman’s portrait?” Adrien whispered. Like his Black Cat Miraculous, Adrien couldn’t resist the temptation to sate his curiosity. He crept quietly into the study, immediately zeroing in on the portrait and moving it aside.

Staring at the lock though, he hesitated. This was his father’s privacy he was breaking. Whatever his father was hiding, he didn’t want Adrien to see. Guilt churned in his gut, preparing to shut the portrait’s view of the safe before Plagg chose this to be the time he would be the little devil on Adrien’s shoulder.

“Oooh I love secrets! Let’s have a look!” Plagg announced in glee, rubbing his paws together. Adrien looked unsure.

“We probably shouldn’t, Plagg.” Adrien said, but his traitorous eyes wouldn’t leave the safe. He then cleared his throat and appeared casual. “Besides, I wouldn’t want Father searching through my things like this.”

But Plagg wasn’t having it. He could see the thirst for knowledge in his kitten’s eyes and frankly, Plagg finally found something interesting in this stuffy mansion! He wasn’t going to just pass it up because his kitten has a conscience.

“Too late!” Plagg cried, eagerly zipping through the metal to unlock the safe. Adrien made a grab for him, but he was too slow. A few clicks were heard, and Adrien was face to face with the contents of the safe and Plagg’s Cheshire Cat grin.

“Ooooh lookie here! A ticket stub to Tibet! And some old Chinese relics! Ah, even a pretty lady!” Plagg flew around excitedly at all the contents. Adrien’s eyes snapped towards a picture of his beautiful mother Emile. Her serene expression was frozen in time in the photo, and he knew in his memory, it would burn in his mind forever. Sadness engulfed him while he fingered the glass of the picture.

“That’s my Maman, Plagg. You’ve seen her on my computer.” Adrien informed, distracted by his overwhelming urge to cry at the loss of his mother’s warm smile. She wouldn’t approve of him breaching his father’s trust like this. She always had told him and Gabriel it was better to be honest with each other even if it hurt, than to lie and find out from someone else causing more hurt.

“Plagg, I—”

“Ah ha! This is the book he was looking at!” Plagg was oblivious to Adrien’s conflict, opening the pages and flipping through them in interest. The contents of the book, however, made his eyes enlarge and he made a choking noise. Adrien stared at his kwami in concern.

“Plagg, what is…it…?” he trailed off, wide eyes taking in the contents of the book. There on the pages were both depictions of what looked like to be ancient Ladybug and Chat Noir wielders. Adrien gaped, his mouth opening and closing, quickly snatching the book and flipping the pages with as much care as his could have in his speedy examination.

His emerald eyes locked onto another hero, and Adrien gasped, anger flowing through him at the sight of what appeared to be Hawkmoth’s Miraculous.

“What’s _he_ doing in this book about Ladybug and Chat Noir?” Adrien hissed. However, before he could examine the tome any further, he heard Natalie’s voice. He panicked, shutting the door to the safe and closing the portrait quickly, and stuffing the book in his bag. He composed himself, making sure to use some of his ‘Adrien charm’ as his mother would call it, and appeared sheepish.

“There you are! The car is ready.” Natalie told him.

“Coming, Natalie.” Adrien followed her, his mind firing questions left and right. Why was Hawkmoth with Ladybug and Chat Noir? How did his father get this book?

Most importantly, _why_ did he have it and not tell Ladybug?

Adrien was distressed with these questions all the way to school.

\------------------------------------------

“Gah! I’m late again!” Marinette cried as she scrambled to pack her bag. Tikki sighed.

“I told you not to switch off your alarm.” Tikki scolded in a way that said ‘I told you so’. Marinette was sheepish.

“But sleep is important for a superhero! You can’t deny that heroes need more sleep than regular people, right Tikki?” Marinette grinned bashfully. Tikki sighed, giving her a teasing smile.

“If all heroes slept like you, Marinette, we would never catch any akuma.” Tikki smirked. Marinette pouted.

“Awww Tikki! That’s unfair.” Marinette protested.

“Aren’t you forgetting you are running late, Marinette?” Tikki reminded, playing innocent. Marinette fell for it, gasping when she saw the clock. She gave a cry, immediately returning to scrambling around to gather her things. Tikki flew into her purse, amused at her little bug’s antics.

Marinette raced down the stairs towards the kitchen, grabbing an apple and swiftly kissing her mother and father’s cheeks. Sabine and Tom watched their daughter move about fondly, exchanging knowing looks and both giggling in amusement.

“Bye Maman! Bye Papa!” Marinette bid her parents farewell, sneaking a cookie for Tikki from the cookie tray. Her parents were none the wiser that she snuck it into her purse for her kwami. The teenage superhero raced out of her family’s bakery towards the steps of Collège Françoise Dupont. She breathed a sigh in relief that she wasn’t late for once. Maybe she could meet up with Alya and chat before class! An excited grin bloomed across her features, searching around for the journalist. When she couldn’t find her though, she decided to ask Rose and Juleka if they’ve seen the girl.

“I can’t believe Lila met Prince Ali! She’s so lucky to know him on a personal level!” Rose gushed, preventing Marinette from speaking. The girl saw Juleka appeared a little uncomfortable with Rose’s words, and Marinette felt pity for the sad glint in Juleka’s eyes as Rose admired Prince Ali. Maybe she should comfort her when they were alone…

“How dare Jagged Stone compose a love song for Lila outside of her window! I’m obviously better than her!” Chloe seethed, stomping by in one of her usual ‘Princess tantrums’ with Sabrina following and failing to calm her. Marinette blinked, distracted from her original mission of locating Alya and listening to all of her classmates praising a girl named Lila for incredible feats.

She entered the courtyard in curiosity, continuing to listen to everyone’s praises of the unknown girl. Finally spotting Alya, Marinette figured her friend could provide her an answer to her classmates’ behavior.

“Who’s Lila?” Marinette asked Alya. Alya was flipping through her phone, grinning like a mischievous fox. Her gold eyes sparkled in excitement and she looped an arm around Marinette’s shoulders to show her what she was looking at.

“She’s the new exchange student from Italy! Her mother’s a diplomat so she gets to travel a lot and meet a lot of famous people! Look! She’s even submitted something to the Ladyblog!” Alya grinned, clicking play on her video. Marinette found herself gazing at a pretty girl with brown hair laughing elegantly. The way the girl held herself was proud, but Marinette couldn’t help but feel a little turned off from the smug glint in the girl’s eyes.

“Oh Ladybug?” the girl, Lila’s, voice drifted into Marinette’s ears. “We’re like this.” Lila crossed her fingers, symbolizing her and Ladybug were tight. Marinette’s eyebrows rose in shock. She’s never met this girl! As she listened further about how Ladybug saved Lila and they’ve been close ever since, her frown deepened, and her eyes turned into slits the more she saw Lila’s smirk and fabricated smug story.

A memory crept from the recesses of her mind, of another person pretending to be nice and then crushing her hopes. Her eyes automatically focus on the person who fooled her before she shook her head. There was no use bringing up old wounds she couldn’t easily bandage back together. But the association already rooted in her mind, and Marinette felt an intense dislike for this Lila, just like she felt distain for all malicious liars. Squirming, Marinette felt like she was being suffocated and maneuvered out of Alya’s hold to get some air in order to calm her rising ire.

The familiar arrogant giggle reached her ears, and the midnight haired girl snapped her head up to see Lila in the flesh holding Adrien’s wrist. An ugly feeling of possession and protectiveness churned in Marinette’s stomach at the sight. She wanted to assert her claim on Adrien, but she also wanted to protect him from Lila’s dishonest clutches.

“What is she doing with _my_ Adrien?” Marinette hissed. Alya looked taken aback by Marinette’s attitude before composing herself in a teasing manner. Maybe this will finally get her friend to make a move on Adrien!

“Oh, you know, probably charming up our local model! I mean she’s pretty famous after all!” Alya smirked. Marinette felt anxiety at that statement.

 _‘What if he falls for her and doesn’t know she’s lying? He could be hurt!’_ Marinette fretted. She wrung her hands roughly, and Alya blinked. She knew her friend had bad anxiety, but she usually suffered exaggerated catastrophic thinking in a more comical way. Seeing Marinette really distressed alarmed her a bit.

“Are you okay?” Alya placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. Marinette jolted out of her thoughts and locked eyes with Alya’s amber ones. “I know you like Adrien, but remember Marinette, he doesn’t know you like him. He’s allowed to be around other girls.” Alya gently explained to her. Marinette swallowed, her eyes hyper focusing on Lila tugging Adrien out of her sight, and her heart clenched in worry.

“I gotta go.” Marinette excused herself, running off to follow the two. Alya watched her go, worried about her friend, but knew if she went, it would only be encouraging Marinette’s jealousy. She sighed, resolving to talk to her about it later when she was calmer.

Marinette hid herself in the library, following Lila’s flirty giggling towards where the two were. Adrien and Lila were sitting at a table, his eyes intently examining the text he was reading. Lila appeared a little put off that Adrien was paying more attention to his book than her, and Marinette watched her place her hand on the text, moving closer to Adrien to get his attention. Marinette bit her jacket to keep from snarling.

“Thanks for helping me study history.” Lila smiled, twirling some of her hair and taking his hand. Adrien felt a little uncomfortable, Lila’s behavior vaguely reminding him of how Chloe hasn’t been respecting his boundaries lately and he resisted the urge to take his hand away.

“Oh, you’re welcome, Lila. Though Max’s grades are better than mine in history. Maybe next time we can ask him for help too.” Adrien mentioned, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with her not releasing his hand.

“Marinette,” Tikki left the safety of her purse, her voice dripping with disapproval. She crossed her paws, gazing at her bug sternly. “Are you spying on Adrien?”  

Marinette jolted, turning to Tikki, shock on her face before determination settled there.

“I’m not spying, Tikki. I’m chaperoning… without them knowing.” Marinette finished weakly. Tikki appeared not convinced.

“You know, Marinette. Adrien is always being watched over by his father and his bodyguards. Do you think he’d appreciate you watching over him like you’re his babysitter?” Tikki lectured. Marinette’s shoulders slumped, but she still wanted to defend herself.

“But Tikki! Lila is lying! I gotta protect him!” Marinette whispered.

“Protect or make sure he doesn’t get stolen away?” Tikki raised a brow. Marinette deflated.

“Protect? Keep him single? …I don’t know. Both?” Marinette admitted. Tikki sighed and flew to Marinette, lifting her chin to gaze at her. Tikki’s eyes were tender as she surveyed her bug.

“Marinette,” Tikki began, “You are my wonderful bug. You are so compassionate and smart, but you are letting your jealousy and fear dictate your actions. Perhaps not all your intentions are bad with wanting to also protect Adrien, but you must remember Adrien is his own person. You can’t always prevent him from being hurt or prevent him from loving others just because you don’t like them.” Tikki explained with tenderness.

“But she’s taking advantage of people Tikki…” Marinette tried to keep the hurt out of her voice from the memory of dealing with another person who harms others without any remorse, but Tikki heard it.

“And she will be found out sooner or later. This is not the time or the way to expose her. All maliciousness shows itself at some point.” Tikki told her soothingly. She sensed a deep hurt from Marinette, and she wondered what had given her such pain, but knew it wasn’t the time to pry.

Marinette sighed, and nodded, realizing that Tikki was right. She blinked tears out of her eyes from past scars, and Tikki comforted her. They would leave from their hiding place after Adrien and Lila to avoid being caught.

Meanwhile, Adrien was trying to help Lila with history, while discreetly trying to read the tome he stole— _borrowed_ , he corrected himself—for more information on the Miraculous. Lila was increasingly insistent he pay attention to her, despite giving her passages she could read and dissect on her own, and Adrien made sure to keep his composure lest he put a tarnish on the Agreste name.

He turned another page of the ancient tome, and his expression turned to adoration as he fondly traced the picture of the female hero in the book wielding the Ladybug Miraculous, being reminded of his own Lady. He wondered what she was doing right now. He wished he knew who she was—being able to spend time with her outside of hero duties would send him to cloud 9.

“Ladybug fan?” Lila interrupted his musings. She appeared irritated that his attention was elsewhere, and Adrien could feel himself tensing from the calculating way she gazed at him. He glanced down at the image of the Ladybug hero to give him courage, and he felt a grin emerge on his face at the thought of his Lady.

“Yeah. She’s amazing!” Adrien sighed, blissfully imagining his Lady smiling, her bluebell eyes sparkling in jest as he delivers a terrible pun. Lila watched Adrien critically, and a surge of distain coiled in her gut for the spotted hero. Her mouth opened, spitting poison for the hero like a viper.

“She’s alright. Though if you ask me, I’ve seen better girls to idolize than _her_.” She spat a distasteful emphasis on Ladybug, and Adrien narrowed his eyes, not liking the way she addressed his partner. Not only was she the love of his life, but also, she was his valued teammate and deserved respect.

“Ladybug gives her all for Paris. To me, there’s no one more admirable.” Adrien said firmly, and Marinette blushed, her back to the bookshelf, listening in on the conversation when they started talking about Ladybug. Tikki couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride in Adrien for sticking up for her bug. However, her attention was then caught by the book Adrien was reading, and her eyes widened in realization.

_‘That book… it can’t be!’_

Lila made a face, but composed herself, smirking coyly like a predator cornering their prey, and placed her face in close proximity to Adrien’s. Adrien, not expecting the loss of space, backed away flustered. Lila wasn’t deterred.

“Hmph. Meet me in the park around 3pm after class. I’ll be sure to show you something that can change your mind.” Lila flirted, coming close to his face again. Adrien’s mind was screaming escape.

“Errr okay! I gotta go right now though!” Adrien excused himself quickly—agreeing to meet her just to cease her advances now—grabbing the tome and fleeing far away from her. Lila watched him go, a pensive expression on her face.

“He likes heroes huh…?” she murmured, departing from the library, a plan set in mind.

Marinette and Tikki released their breaths, sighing in relief when they were alone. Marinette stretched, getting ready to go to class, and leave Adrien and Lila alone. Tikki was right—Adrien was a person, not an object for her to covet. He had a right to make his own decisions.

 _‘Even if I don’t like them, I have to respect them because he’s my friend.’_ Marinette concluded, proud of herself for choosing to be a good friend.

“Marinette! We have to go to the park after them!” Tikki urged. Marinette gaped.

“Tikki! You just told me I have to stop spying on Adrien! Now you’re telling me to spy on him?” Marinette questioned. What has gotten into her kwami?

“You don’t understand Marinette! Adrien’s book! We need the book! It’s important!” Tikki pushed on. Marinette scrunched her brow.

“What about his book?” she asked Tikki. Tikki flew close to her face.

“It should only belong to the Guardian! It contains knowledge about all Miraculous that can be abused if it fell into the wrong hands! We need to get that book and return it to the Guardian immediately!” Tikki frantically explained.

“Who’s the Guardian?” Marinette inquired. Her bluebell eyes narrowed. “Tikki, what have you been hiding?”

“I promise I will tell you everything, but right now we need to make sure we follow Adrien to the park after class! We can’t let this chance get away from us!” Tikki persuaded her. Marinette saw the panic in her kwami’s face and nodded.

“Okay, we’ll follow them after class.” Marinette conceded. Tikki sighed in relief.

“Thank you, Marinette.” Tikki told her chosen sincerely, for she was very grateful Marinette listened to her council. She’s had some stubborn bugs in the past that often had to learn the hard way, but while Marinette was like that at times, she did respect Tikki’s input. She supposed it was because all her bugs were spirited little things, and that spirit could get in the way of rational thought if they weren’t careful.

She winced at the memory of Hippolyta. While she adored her like all her other bugs, the woman was not known for her willingness to compromise. Her fate was set the moment Hera manipulated her and Hercules took her life.

But Tikki has learned since then. She will try her hardest to council her bugs, even if they didn’t agree sometimes. She’s lived many lifetimes, but each of her bugs has never been forgotten by her, despite some of them rejecting her council. It just made her more determined to be better and guide her future bugs to success.

Marinette hid Tikki in her purse and set off towards class. She couldn’t help but muse about the book Adrien was reading and why Tikki wanted it. There was also the mysterious Guardian. She remembered Pharaoh, and her fight with him at the museum. Not since then has it hit her that Tikki was an all-powerful being that lived thousands of years and wasn’t just her small companion that helped her turn into Ladybug. Was this Guardian as old as Tikki? Was he a kwami like Tikki or was he human like her? Marinette tried to fathom a human living as long as perhaps Tikki had, and it didn’t seem to click, almost like it was too surreal—too phenomenal to comprehend a human living many lifetimes.

“Ah, Marinette, late again I see.” Madam Bustier remarked, but you could see her face stretched into an amused, fond smile for her class president. Marinette gave a weak grin, chuckling nervously.

“Sorry, Madam Bustier.” Marinette apologized. Madam Bustier shook her head, her smile still present.

“I will not count it on your record this time, but please try to be on time in the future.” Madam Bustier sighed. Marinette gave a grateful nod and sped towards her seat. She discreetly eyed Adrien. The boy paid her no mind, his eyes flickering between his notes and under his desk where the tome that Tikki wanted sat on his lap. Whatever this book was, it sure had Adrien’s attention. It only served to make Marinette more curious about the contents of the ancient book as well.

Alya didn’t seem to notice Marinette’s eyes trained on the book in Adrien’s lap instead of Adrien. The girl’s amber eyes watched her, concerned that Marinette may have gotten her heart broken while spying on Adrien and Lila. Marinette played her part and gave Alya a reassuring smile, mouthing ‘I’m okay’.

This seemed to satisfy the journalist, and she went back to her notes while Marinette stared at the back of Adrien’s head. Luckily, she did this so much that her friend didn’t even bother to be suspicious at her actions.

The midnight haired girl placed a hand on her purse where Tikki resided, drawing strength from her while she plotted in her head about how she was going to get the book from Adrien without revealing who she really was. She wouldn’t lie—she knew Adrien adored Ladybug—and at times she was hypnotized by the temptation to reveal to him who Ladybug really was, so she could earn his affections, but Marinette always stomped on these daydreams.

She wasn’t stupid. Revealing yourself comes with consequences—consequences she’s probably never realized that were even worse than putting her loved ones in danger. She wouldn’t put her friends and family in the line of fire just because she wanted a boy to notice her. When she first took up the mantle of Ladybug, it soon became apparent being a hero wasn’t just donning a mask—you could be required to make sacrifices and go against your personal wants for the sake of everyone else’s safety.

There were times Marinette was sure she was going to die in this never-ending war. She’s never discussed it with Tikki the realization that she could very well lose her life while fighting Hawkmoth. There were many—too many—close calls where she thought _‘this is it. I’m going to die.’_ though she had a feeling Tikki knew all too well about the mortality of her Ladybugs.

These thoughts often stopped her from ever giving in and revealing herself to her partner, Chat Noir. She had no fear that he would be disappointed—that wasn’t what stopped her besides the fear that Hawkmoth could find out about her if Chat Noir was ever compromised and vice versa.

It was the fact that if she revealed herself, and she died, Chat Noir would be alone in his mourning of who she really was. He would be able to put a face to his dead partner, and no one besides him would ever know she was Ladybug _and_ Marinette Dupain-Cheng, two people he’s interacted with actually being the same person. At least if one of them died, they would be able to protect themselves from the reality that they were more than soldiers against Hawkmoth—that they were just _children._

If she gave Chat a face, an identity under the mask, it would shatter the illusion of their invincibility. The reality that they had lives outside of their masks would weigh upon them, and the façade of heroes would be gone, replaced by the frightening reality that they were just children in a war against a merciless terrorist.

To Chat Noir and Paris, she was Ladybug, a hero that couldn’t be put down or beaten. She was a symbol to them. A symbol of hope and that good always wins. If she died now, at least hope would live on and pass onto the next Ladybug.

She refused to make Chat Noir suffer in silence and despair if he knew the face behind the mask and no one would be able to share in his grief.

Paris could live on without her as Ladybug, but Chat Noir could not.

She was jolted from her reverie when she felt Tikki’s paw press against her palm through the fabric of her purse, as if she knew what Marinette was thinking. It brought Marinette back to reality, back to where she was and what her mission was.

Determination filled her. Now was not the time to dwell on her mortality. She was a soldier—a hero of Paris—and she would continue to fight for Paris until her last breath. However, now was the time to plan for her current mission to retrieve Adrien’s book.

It was time for Ladybug to step into the arena once more.


	2. Volpina: Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette helps Adrien with some needed advice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all the people who liked the first part! I hope you guys will continue to like more from me with this rewrite.   
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Ladybug—if I did, I’d give it to imthepunchlord

Before Marinette and Adrien knew it, lunch hour came. Madam Bustier dismissed them and Adrien discreetly packed the ancient tome. For the most part, he couldn’t really understand the passages of the book. It seemed like the book was written in a certain type of code. It made him more determined to crack the mystery of his father possessing a book like this.

“Hello, Adrien.” Lila’s coy greeting brought him out of his musings and the boy couldn’t help but tense, his guard immediately surging forward. Adrien resisted the urge to recoil from her, but he was still cautious in case she tried to break into his personal space again.

“Hello, Lila.” Adrien greeted, hiding his discomfort. He straightened his shoulders, his posture stiff, and gripped his bag tight. Lila didn’t seem to notice or if she did, she didn’t care.

“Would you like to have lunch together? I know we’re supposed to meet after school at the park at three, but I’m a little nervous to be alone since I don’t know anyone.” Lila smoothly said, eyes glinting slyly.

Adrien resisted the urge to point out all of their classmates are completely enraptured with her, so she wouldn’t have a problem finding people to eat with, but that accursed reminder that he wouldn’t be acting like a model Agreste stopped him.

A feeling of being trapped overtook him, and he wanted to grip at anything that would save him. He brought out his phone, hoping the Gorilla texted him to take him home so he could flee away from Lila. However, a gentle voice interrupted the exchange.

“Actually, Lila,” there was Marinette, his savior, arriving in the nick of time like she always seemed to do. “Adrien is having lunch with me, Nino, and Alya today. But you’re welcome to join.” Marinette played the innocent façade well, and Adrien was too relieved to refute her obvious lie. Everyone knew that he always went home for lunch.

Adrien fingered his phone, seeing the text from Gorilla that he was here, and Adrien was nervous if he said anything now, it would make Marinette look like a fool. However, her sky-blue eyes shifted to him, as if she knew what he was thinking, and she gave him a shy smile that strangely put him at ease.

“Of course, I forgot though that you could have something going on. After all, your schedule is very sporadic at times.” Marinette gave him an easy out, her smile sweet. “But we’d love to have you, Adrien.” She told him sincerely, and Adrien felt his heart swell at her genuine tone.

Lila’s put off look that she wouldn’t have Adrien alone was a close second of enjoyment for him, but nothing could top Marinette’s sincerity in this moment. He discreetly texted the Gorilla he would be with friends today, and Adrien felt no guilt that he was essentially disobeying his father.

“I am free actually.” Adrien spoke, and Marinette’s eyes widened a little, shocked he actually was going to eat lunch with them. Lila’s look grew darker.

“I actually realized I have somewhere to go.” Lila spoke, her saccharine tone masking her distaste that Marinette was a foil to getting to Adrien. She gave Adrien a coy smirk and waved to him. “Remember to be at the park at 3pm!” she reminded him.

“Right…” Adrien sighed, reluctantly waving. Lila departed, Adrien watching her go, and a deep weight settled on his shoulders. He wasn’t looking forward to more of Lila disrespecting his boundaries.

“You didn’t have to go along with my lie.” Marinette spoke quietly, but Adrien heard her loud and clear. He snapped his head in her direction to see her watching him intently. His gaze made her tense up, her face flushing. “Err I mean, not that I mind, but I don’t like making you my accomplice—I mean, you wouldn’t be an accomplice! It’s your choice! But I don’t want you to feel like I’m forcing you to join us for lunch!” Marinette babbled.

As Adrien listened to Marinette’s ramblings, he couldn’t resist the fond chuckle that escaped his lips. Marinette was always so tough and sassy, but she could also be a nervous wreck that came off as endearing to him. He wondered if Marinette had bad anxiety and resolved to research into anxiety. Maybe if he knew more about it, he could help her be more at ease.

At his laugh, Marinette ceased her babbling and flushed harder. At her look, Adrien rushed to assure her he wasn’t making fun of her.

“I’m sorry, Marinette. I’m not laughing at you.” Adrien told her. He touched her shoulder, making Marinette jolt. Her jump almost made him retract his hand, but he was determined to soothe her. He gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. “Even if it was just a lie, thank you for inviting me to lunch.” He wondered if maybe he imagined Marinette’s offer being real and didn’t know if he should alert the Gorilla that he was going home for lunch after all. However, Marinette was quick to settle his fears.

“I meant it though—no lie.” Marinette reassured him, seeming to calm down from her anxiety. She gave him an intense look that made Adrien’s mouth go dry. “Please join us for lunch. We’d love to have you.” She told him seriously.

Her words seemed to have caused his face to break into a gigantic grin, and Adrien was not bothered by it—so happy to actually eat lunch with friends. He removed his hand from Marinette’s shoulder to link arms with her. Marinette’s eyes nearly bugged out at the contact.

“Lead the way then.” He smiled. It took her a few seconds to reboot, but Marinette soon relaxed, her face sporting a dreamy expression and Adrien couldn’t help but note how perfect their arms were linked together.

“Yeah… let’s go.” She sounded like she was somewhere else. Adrien stared at her expectantly and that seemed to jolt her out of her daydreams. “Right! Follow me!”

She led him out of the classroom to find Alya and Nino. Marinette chanced a look at Adrien, thinking back to how uncomfortable he looked with Lila talking to him. It was lucky that she’s watched him so many times interacting with Chloe that she recognized the subtle recoiling Adrien does when he is faced with a situation he wants to escape from.

 _‘Why doesn’t he just say no?’_ Marinette questioned. She didn’t get not letting someone know she was uncomfortable with something. Marinette always tried to be upfront in her feelings, never wanting to be someone who pretends to be nice to someone she doesn’t like and then going behind their back and insulting them. Her parents always taught her to make her boundaries clear.

 _“If you don’t make your stance clear and instead be wishy washy, you’re going to give off a different signal and the person may not understand what you’re trying to say and may interpret it differently.”_ Sabine would tell her when Marinette was a child who would come home from school asking for advice on how to handle people when she was shy. Sabine worked with her every day after school to help get her points across despite her shyness. _“You’re allowed to tell someone no, Marinette. They may not like it, but if it makes you uncomfortable, it’s better to say no and be upfront than lie and make yourself more stressed. You can’t have healthy relationships if you don’t make sure they know your boundaries.”_

When Chloe arrived, Marinette started receding into a shell, but ever since becoming Ladybug, Marinette has started implementing her mother’s advice on social interactions once more. 

_‘Maybe Adrien’s parents never talked to him about establishing boundaries?’_ Marinette thought. Sympathy filled her as she pondered how many times Adrien had to endure uncomfortable situations because he wasn’t clear in his boundaries. He was a celebrity—maybe his father didn’t _allow_ him to set boundaries.

A sense of distaste entered her at the thought of her idol perhaps not being a good of a father as he was a fashion designer. Marinette recalled all the times Gabriel didn’t show up to school functions or career days as well as hearing from Nino that Adrien’s father didn’t want him to have a birthday party. Her brow furrowed even further when she remembered Adrien thinks the scarf she made him was from his father. Did that mean that Gabriel didn’t even give his son a present for his own birthday?

“Are you all right?” Adrien’s voice brought her back to the present. Marinette jumped a little, startled by his voice. Adrien gave her a concerned look. “You made a face like something made you mad.” He told her.

 _‘Oh nothing, Adrien. Just realizing how much a dick your father can actually be.’_ Marinette thought, but didn’t dare say it, biting the inside of her cheek to prevent from offending him.

“Oh, it’s nothing! Just realized how much science homework we have to do in a short time. Not looking forward to it.” Marinette said. Adrien winced.

“Yeah. I hope my schedule will lighten up a bit, so I can concentrate on it. I’m good at science and learned most of the stuff in homeschool, but I like to allow myself time to absorb it at my pace.” Adrien replied. It was Marinette’s turn to cringe at his schedule. She knew all too well how busy Adrien was—she had his freaking schedule written down in her room.

“I don’t know how you do it.” It was true. Marinette couldn’t imagine having that type of schedule on top of being Ladybug. She was sure she’d go insane!

“You get used to it, I guess.” Adrien shrugged. “I’m just glad Father lets me go to school now instead of being homeschooled. It was so boring.”

“Your dad sounds… really strict.” Marinette tried to find the least offensive word to describe someone who she was quickly realizing treated Adrien more like a prized horse than his child.

“Yeah, he wasn’t always like this. When Maman was around—” Adrien cut himself off then, realizing he was about to talk about his mother. Marinette stayed silent, waiting for him to continue, but Adrien coughed. “He’s been getting better, but I see what you mean.” He said instead. It wasn’t like he didn’t trust Marinette—it was the opposite. Marinette was very easy to talk to, which is why he ended up going off on tangents when he was alone with her, but he didn’t really want to talk about the gaping wound his mother left behind with his friends just yet.

Ladybug was different. She was his best friend, his partner. Like Marinette, he felt like he could tell her anything, but unlike Marinette, he was closer with Ladybug, and therefore more comfortable with talking about his problems.

“I’m glad he’s getting better.” Marinette didn’t bother calling him out on his flub—Marinette really was kind, Adrien concluded. She definitely deserved to be their class president.

They spotted Alya and Nino, and their conversation was over. Alya noticed them and waved excitedly. Her and Nino looked pleasantly surprised to see him with Marinette.

“Yo dude! I thought you go home for lunch!” Nino fist bumped him when he was close. Adrien felt a smile blossom on his face just from being near his best male friend.

“I decided to join you guys today.” Was all Adrien said. Alya gave a sly smirk to Marinette, who flushed at Alya’s teasing smile.

“I see our amazing class president had something to do with it.” Alya smirked. Marinette choked on her own spit before glaring at Alya with a warning.

“She is pretty amazing.” Adrien gave Marinette a smile and Marinette couldn’t help but blush more intensely. Adrien thought she was amazing!

“You’re welcome—I mean thank you!” Marinette stumbled out, feeling herself going to cloud 9 and never coming back.

“Thank you, by the way.” Adrien told Marinette as Nino offered his friend an extra sandwich. “You really saved me back there. I thought Lila was going to pounce on me.”

“Lila? The new girl?” Nino asked. He appeared thoughtful. “You were helping her with history, right? That’s why you had to leave me this morning.” Nino recalled.

“Oh, she’s the girl who knows Ladybug!” Alya said excitedly. She looked confused when Adrien and Marinette both winced at her statement. Marinette because she knew Lila was a liar and Adrien because he remembered Lila’s tone when talking about Ladybug. “I’m thinking about interviewing her. Maybe she knows Ladybug’s secret identity!” Alya looked positively ecstatic at knowing her favorite hero’s real identity.

Marinette resisted the urge to sigh and roll her eyes. She really wished her friend would give up trying to find out her alter ego’s real identity. There was a reason she kept her secret from even Chat Noir—she didn’t want anyone getting hurt. She just wished that Alya would understand that.

“You’re still on that?” Nino laughed at his girlfriend’s antics. “Face it, Alya. LB doesn’t want to be found out. If anything, your best bet is cornering Chat Noir to find out.”

“Chat Noir and Ladybug don’t know each other’s identities.” Adrien pointed out bitterly. Everyone raised an eyebrow at his tone, and Adrien realized where he was, clearing his throat. “I mean, that’s smart, right? Chat Noir gets mind controlled a lot after all.”

“Just because he gets mind controlled doesn’t make him any less of a hero.” Marinette chimed in, narrowing her eyes at the way Adrien addressed her partner. Even if he was her crush, Chat Noir was her partner and she trusted that silly cat with her life. Chat Noir put in as much as her when protecting Paris—she wouldn’t let people downgrade him. Not even Adrien.

Adrien’s eyes widened at the fierce look and firm words Marinette had. He’s never heard someone other than Ladybug defend his alter ego ferociously. It filled him with warmth, and he resisted the urge to purr, despite being out of costume.

“Err right! I meant though it’s a safety precaution that they don’t know each other’s identities in case one of them gets compromised.” Adrien quickly explained before he exposed himself. Marinette kept a critical eye on him, but she relaxed herself. Adrien mentally sighed in relief. He’s seen Marinette angry—he does NOT want to get on her bad side ever.

“Yes, it is a safety precaution. If they were found out, their loved ones could get hurt.” Marinette directed her words to Alya, who pouted.

“You guys are no fun.” Alya told them. Nino, Marinette, and Adrien laughed, Nino patting Alya’s shoulder.

“Face it—knowing a superhero’s identity can be heavy stuff, Alya. It’s not like in your comics.” Nino grinned good-naturedly. Alya rolled her eyes.

“I bet I could write a better comic than you.” Alya retorted playfully.

“I’m sure you could. Maybe instead of asking LB for her identity, ask for the rights to make her official comic. You could become the next Stan Lee of Marvel!” Nino praised her. Alya laughed, punching his arm lightly. Adrien and Marinette watched their friends, each wishing they could be like that with the one they loved.

“Anyway, why did you need saving from Lila? She seems nice to me.” Alya turned her attention back to Adrien, who was jolted from his daydreams of him and Ladybug. He appeared a little nervous, searching around as if talking about Lila will make her magically appear.

“Err well she’s been kinda getting into my space a bit…” Adrien admitted, anxious he was putting a bad mark to the Agreste name by even admitting he was uncomfortable. Nino narrowed his eyes.

“So she’s like Chloe and your fans.” Nino stated, not bothering to phrase it as a question. He’s seen the kind of people who chase after his friend. It seemed the only one who respected his personal space that had a crush on him was Marinette, which is why Nino approves of her. She won’t treat Adrien like he’s not a person.

“Umm…” Adrien appeared even more uncomfortable, afraid to voice his thoughts out loud, but Marinette and Nino caught onto what he was not saying.

“Avoid her, dude. Don’t give her the time of day. You don’t owe her your time.” Nino was quick to advise Adrien that he wasn’t obligated to cater to everyone. Adrien looked like he wanted to protest but instead replied,

“Well, I’m supposed to meet her at three in the park today after school…”

“Wait, why would you agree to meet her if she makes you uncomfortable?” Alya blinked. Adrien’s thought process wasn’t really making sense to her. Beside her, Nino face palmed.

“Dude, you gotta learn to say no.” he groaned, knowing Adrien was too nice to ever tell anyone no, and that is what often led him to being overloaded with obligations. Adrien winced, as if Nino’s words actually slapped him.

“I can’t do that, Nino. You know I can’t give my family’s reputation a bad name.” Adrien protested tiredly.

“Tell her how you feel.” Marinette blurted out. Everyone looked at her in shock. Marinette blushed, but kept going. “I mean, you can’t tell her no, but Adrien, if you don’t set boundaries, she’s going to get the wrong idea and keep getting into your space, and that will make it worse. You may not like disappointing people, but it’s better to tell them how you feel instead of letting it continue and they find out in a worse way later.” Marinette explained.

 _“You need to be honest with people, sweetie.”_ Emile’s words drifted into his brain. _“Even if it hurts them, you need to be honest, or else they’ll be hurt more later from your secrets.”_

To be honest, Adrien never thought of applying those words to anyone but his father, but hearing what Marinette was saying now rang true to him. He really was giving Lila encouragement by not backing her off…

“You’re right…” Adrien told her. “I… it’s gonna be hard, but I’ll tell her. I promise.”

“Good.” Alya, Marinette, and Nino nodded. The conversation turned lighter again, with the four of them cracking jokes and eating a modest meal. It wasn’t like anything his fancy chefs could prepare at home, but Adrien felt the company alone ranked the meal higher.

\------------

Lila clicked through article after article about Ladybug and Chat Noir. She’s heard of them in Italy—they were becoming quite popular on the global scale—and she clicked her tongue in distaste when she remembered how Adrien talked about Ladybug.

To her, Ladybug didn’t really seem special. Her outfit was plain, and it seemed this item called a Miraculous is what gave her her powers. Take that away, and she’s just a normal girl. She wasn’t like Lila whose mother was a diplomat and got to travel nor was she very charming like Lila was. Ladybug just earned points because she had her Miraculous. Anyone could be just like her if they had a Miraculous too!

Reading more about Miraculous, what little was known about them, Lila felt her plan to woo Adrien becoming more concrete. It was easy to say one was a hero, but she needed to back it up. Miraculous were mysterious enough that it seemed no one really knows how many there are or where they come from aside from the fact that each Miraculous was an item of jewelry.

With her plan in mind, she quickly shut off her internet history and hurried to one of Gabriel’s designer jewelry stores, wanting to support her future boyfriend’s father’s business. She knew Gabriel Agreste was a very famous fashion designer, but he also had his own jewelry line, though lots of his items were very expensive.

Sneaking past the kitchen where her mother was making her own lunch, Lila stealthily swiped her mother’s card from her purse in the foyer before silently creeping away to the jewelry store.

She was going to win Adrien’s heart no matter what. Ladybug would have nothing on her!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you guys go! I hope you guys liked this chapter! More will pick up next installment!

**Author's Note:**

> There’s part 1 of Volpina rewrite! I hope you guys like it. I have the whole rewrite of the episode outlined, but I find it easier to do smaller chapters in order to hopefully update faster. Please let me know what you think if you can!


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